Literacy

At Edmonton County School, we know that strong literacy skills are the foundation of academic success and lifelong learning. We are committed to ensuring that every student develops the ability to read fluently, write with confidence, and communicate effectively. Literacy is not confined to the English classroom, it is embedded across the curriculum and underpins all areas of learning.

We recognise that literacy empowers students to access knowledge, think critically, and express themselves clearly. As a result, we have a whole-school approach where all staff take responsibility for developing students’ reading, writing, vocabulary, and communication skills.

We understand that literacy looks different across subjects. For example, in science, students must interpret technical language and write precise explanations; in history, they analyse sources and construct arguments; in mathematics, they interpret complex word problems.

Our approach to disciplinary literacy ensures that teachers explicitly teach the reading, writing, and communication skills specific to their subject. By doing so, we help students access subject content more effectively and develop as confident learners across all disciplines.

At Edmonton County School we are proud to promote a strong and vibrant reading culture. We encourage all students to develop a lifelong love of reading, both in and beyond the classroom.

In English lessons, students are given dedicated time to read for pleasure, discuss texts, and reflect on their reading. They maintain reading logs to track their progress and encourage independent reading habits.

Our school libraries are welcoming and well-resourced spaces that offer a wide range of books to suit all interests and abilities. The library runs a variety of clubs, trips, and enrichment opportunities, helping to inspire curiosity and a passion for reading. We also recognise and celebrate engagement through rewards for our top borrowers, fostering enthusiasm and motivation.

We celebrate reading events such as World Book Day, where staff and students come together to share their love of literature. Staff often dress up as literary characters, and students take part in a range of engaging activities designed to make reading enjoyable, memorable, and accessible for everyone. For more information about what our libraries have to offer, please see the library section of the website.

Lexia

We use Lexia as a targeted literacy intervention to support students who need additional help with reading. This programme is delivered in collaboration with our Inclusion team and Teaching Assistants, ensuring that support is tailored to individual student needs.

Lexia helps students build essential skills in phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension through a structured and adaptive approach, enabling them to make measurable progress.

We offer a range of targeted interventions to support and develop students' literacy skills:

• Reading Clubs – providing opportunities for students to read for pleasure and discuss texts in a supportive environment.
• Sixth Form Reading Buddies – pairing younger students with older peers to build confidence and foster a love of reading.
• Handwriting Club – supporting students in developing clear, legible handwriting.
• Guided Reading – structured sessions focusing on comprehension, inference, and critical thinking skills.

These interventions ensure that all students, regardless of starting point, are supported to succeed.

Reading Tests

We assess students’ reading ability using STAR Reader assessments twice a year. These tests provide valuable data on reading age, comprehension, and progress.

The results allow us to:

• Identify students who need additional support
• Monitor progress over time
• Tailor interventions effectively
• Celebrate improvements in reading attainment

Literacy is a key part of our weekly form time programme. One dedicated session each week focuses on developing students’ language and communication skills through engaging and varied activities.

Activities include:

• Etymology Quizzes – exploring the origins of words
• Vocabulary Development – including synonyms, idioms, and spellings
• Book of the Week – a video book review presented by students or staff to promote reading for pleasure

This regular focus helps to build students’ confidence with language in an enjoyable and accessible way.

Vocabulary Across the Curriculum

We place a strong emphasis on the explicit teaching of vocabulary in all subjects. Staff carefully select and teach key terminology, ensuring students understand and can use subject-specific language accurately.

Students are supported to:

• Learn new vocabulary in context
• Revisit and practise key terms regularly
• Use ambitious vocabulary in both spoken and written work

All staff are committed to marking for literacy as part of our whole-school approach. This includes:

• Correcting spelling, punctuation, and grammar where appropriate
• Encouraging high standards of written communication
• Supporting students in improving their accuracy and clarity

This consistency ensures that literacy remains a priority in every lesson.

Oracy

We recognise that spoken language is a vital component of literacy. Developing strong oracy skills enables students to articulate ideas, participate in discussions, and build confidence.

We promote oracy across the school through:

• Structured classroom discussions and debate
• Opportunities for presentations and public speaking
• Collaborative group work
• Explicit teaching of speaking and listening skills

By fostering a culture of respectful dialogue and active participation, we help students become confident communicators who can express their ideas clearly and effectively.

Contemporary & Diverse Voices

• The Boy at the Back of the Class – Onjali Q. Raúf (refugee experience, empathy)
• A Kind of Spark – Elle McNicoll (neurodiversity, autism representation)
• When Stars Are Scattered – Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed (graphic memoir, refugee story)
• The Hate U Give (Younger Readers Edition) – Angie Thomas (race, identity, justice)
• The Bone Sparrow – Zana Fraillon (migration, resilience)
• Kick the Moon – Muhammad Khan (British Pakistani identity, belonging)

Fantasy & Adventure

• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan (mythology, humour)
• Amari and the Night Brothers – B.B. Alston (fantasy, diverse protagonist)
• His Dark Materials: Northern Lights – Philip Pullman (classic fantasy)
• The House with Chicken Legs – Sophie Anderson (Eastern European folklore)
• Skandar and the Unicorn Thief – A.F. Steadman (fast-paced fantasy)
• Noughts & Crosses – Malorie Blackman (dystopian, social themes)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

• Murder Most Unladylike – Robin Stevens (historical mystery)
• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (YA) – Holly Jackson (crime, investigation)
• The London Eye Mystery – Siobhan Dowd (neurodivergent narrator)
• Alex Rider: Stormbreaker – Anthony Horowitz (spy adventure)
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Realistic & Coming-of-Age Stories

• Wonder – R.J. Palacio (kindness, empathy)
• Ghost – Jason Reynolds (sport, overcoming adversity)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Younger Readers) – Stephen Chbosky
• Artichoke Hearts – Sita Brahmachari (family, identity)
• The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta (verse novel, identity, LGBTQ+)

Historical Fiction

• Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo (WWI)
• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne (Holocaust)
• Letters from the Lighthouse – Emma Carroll (WWII)
• Refugee – Alan Gratz (multiple refugee narratives across time)
• Salt to the Sea – Ruta Sepetys (lesser-known WWII history)

Humour & Accessible Reads

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney
• Tom Gates – Liz Pichon
• The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks – Katie Kirby
• Kid Normal – Greg James & Chris Smith

Classics & Literary Heritage

• A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
• Jane Eyre (abridged/KS3 edition) – Charlotte Brontë
• Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
• Animal Farm – George Orwell
• The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien

Graphic Novels & Visual Texts

• Smile – Raina Telgemeier
• New Kid – Jerry Craft (race, identity, school life)
• Illegal – Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin (migration)
• Ms Marvel – G. Willow Wilson (Muslim superhero, identity)

Non-Fiction & Wider Reading

• Black and British – David Olusoga (adapted for young readers)
• Women in Science – Rachel Ignotofsky
• You Are Awesome – Matthew Syed (growth mindset)
• Prisoners of Geography (Young Readers) – Tim Marshall

Contemporary & Diverse Voices

• The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas (race, justice, identity)
• Clap When You Land – Elizabeth Acevedo (verse novel, grief, family, Dominican culture)
• The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta (identity, masculinity, LGBTQ+)
• Punching the Air – Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam (systemic injustice, voice)
• Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo (multiple voices, gender, race – accessible extracts for KS4)
• Run, Rebel – Manjeet Mann (verse novel, feminism, cultural expectations)
• Ace of Spades – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (thriller, racism, privilege)

Mystery, Thriller & Dystopia

• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Holly Jackson
• One of Us Is Lying – Karen M. McManus
• Noughts & Crosses – Malorie Blackman
• The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
• 1984 – George Orwell (more challenging dystopia)
• The Loop – Ben Oliver (sci-fi dystopia, fast-paced)

Realistic & Coming-of-Age

• We Were Liars – E. Lockhart (family, secrets)
• Dear Martin – Nic Stone (race, identity, injustice)
• All the Bright Places – Jennifer Niven (mental health – sensitive themes)
• Looking for Alaska – John Green
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

Historical Fiction

• The Book Thief – Markus Zusak (WWII, narrated by Death)
• Salt to the Sea – Ruta Sepetys (WWII, lesser-known history)
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz (YA edition) – Heather Morris
• Small Island – Andrea Levy (post-war Britain, migration – accessible extracts)
• Things a Bright Girl Can Do – Sally Nichols (suffragette movement)

Classics & GCSE-Linked Reading

• Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
• Lord of the Flies – William Golding
• Animal Farm – George Orwell
• Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
• Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
• Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson

Plays & Drama

• Macbeth – William Shakespeare
• An Inspector Calls – J.B. Priestley
• Blood Brothers – Willy Russell
• A Raisin in the Sun – Lorraine Hansberry (race, family, aspiration)
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon (play version available)

Graphic Novels & Visual Texts

• Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi (Iranian history, identity)
• The Complete Maus – Art Spiegelman (Holocaust, powerful visual narrative)
• Long Way Down (Graphic Novel) – Jason Reynolds
• They Called Us Enemy – George Takei (Japanese internment in WWII)

Non-Fiction & Wider Reading

• Educated (Young Adult Edition) – Tara Westover (education, resilience)
• Black and British – David Olusoga
• Prisoners of Geography – Tim Marshall
• This Book is Anti-Racist – Tiffany Jewell
• I Am Malala (YA edition) – Malala Yousafzai

 Poetry & Verse Novels

• The World’s Wife – Carol Ann Duffy
• Poems from the Underground – varied poets
• The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
• Brown Girl Dreaming – Jacqueline Woodson

Contemporary & Diverse Voices

• Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo (intersectionality, identity, modern Britain)
• Home Fire – Kamila Shamsie (family, politics, British Muslim identity)
• Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (race, migration, identity)
• Open Water – Caleb Azumah Nelson (love, masculinity, race)
• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong (memory, family, immigration)
• Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid (race, privilege, social commentary)

Literary Fiction & Modern Classics

• The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
• The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
• A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
• Life of Pi – Yann Martel
• The Road – Cormac McCarthy
• Beloved – Toni Morrison (challenging, powerful themes)

Ideas, Politics & Society

• The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat – Oliver Sacks (psychology, case studies)
• Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari (history of humanity)
• Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
• Prisoners of Geography – Tim Marshall
• Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and Other Lies) – Scarlett Curtis (essay collection)

Classics 

• Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
• Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
• The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
• Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy (for highly able readers)

Drama & Plays

• A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams
• The Glass Menagerie – Tennessee Williams
• Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller
• Top Girls – Caryl Churchill
• Jerusalem – Jez Butterworth

Poetry

• The World’s Wife – Carol Ann Duffy
• Songs of Ourselves – Cambridge anthology
• Milk and Honey – Rupi Kaur (accessible contemporary poetry)
• Citizen: An American Lyric – Claudia Rankine (race, identity)

Graphic & Hybrid Texts

• Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi
• The Complete Maus – Art Spiegelman
• Sabrina – Nick Drnaso (modern media and isolation)

Identity, Gender & LGBTQ+ Voices

• The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
• Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin
• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit – Jeanette Winterson
• Detransition, Baby – Torrey Peters (for mature readers)

 Global & Postcolonial Literature

• Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
• The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
• Wide Sargasso Sea – Jean Rhys
• Season of Migration to the North – Tayeb Salih

Science, Philosophy & Critical Thinking

• The Art of Thinking Clearly – Rolf Dobelli
• Think Like a Freak – Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
• Sophie's World – Jostein Gaarder (philosophy introduction)
• Bad Science – Ben Goldacre